saltwater feb. 2006

“Kicking Fish Tail Since 1956”

POB 30771
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA 31410
912 897 4921

912 897 3460 FAX

www.missjudycharters.com

Saltwater Fishing report
February 13, 2006

Last Inshore School until winter 2007

Date February 18, 2006 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM

For those that want to attend please give us a call we still have spots available

Place: Tubby’s Tank House 2909 River Drive, Thunderbolt, Georgia 31404

Cost: $80.00 (included one day class, breakfast, and lunch)

Please sign up as soon as possible! Classes are filling up!

Captain Judy Helmey Captain Ali Young

“Trick” “SNEAK”

Saltwater Fishing report

Freshies Report

During the cold season fish do eat but your bait presentation needs to be delivered at a slower pace than in the warmer months. There are two good ways to work ledges or vertical drops off during this time. You can work them from the bottom to the top. The other way is to just to reverse and work from top to bottom. The main goal is to work your lure/bait so that it basically bounces the bottom either moving up or down the ledge or vertical drop off. There is a rule of thumb especially when fishing at this time of the year. It’s not what you use for bait, but rather how you work it. It’s your dance you lead!

Inshore Light tackle big fish report

Striped Bass AKA Rock Fish

This is one fishery that you can count on especially during this time of the year. Your best days to fish is when it’s cloudy, rainy, and windy. However, most fishermen prefer, I know I do, a much better weather scenario. For those fishermen out there that want to give this fish a try now is the time to do so. As far as where to look for this fish I suggest the tide gates, which are located in the Savannah River. Another good area is going to be the rocks and jetties around the Elba Island Cut area, which flows right into the Savannah River. To the right as you go through Elba Island Cut into the Savannah River there is a jetty. I call it a “rocky run” I suggest approaching this area with caution, because there is a potential for submerged rocks. However, hopefully you will locate them the easy way and not the hard way by hitting them. This area is especially good for holding fish. It’s sort of what I call a “rough house area!” The current rushes from all sides from the Savannah River and the Elba Island cut. However, due to the fact that the water hits the rocks forming a “temporary still wall” all fish get somewhat of a safe haven. This is just about where small fish feel safe and large fish feed. It’s a fish eat fish world!

Your best bait is always the one that works the best. However, that could be anything from pitched feather/hair style metal jigs to the real thing. The real stuff can come in the form of mud minnow, menhaden, and large shrimp. All of this real stuff works great when suspended under a traditional float rig. Another good artificial lure to throw is a surface pulled rattler of sorts. This entire equations boils down to a lure that when retrieved pulls semi-deep, makes noise, and attracts fish.

Deep holes are holding your fish!

I don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but facts are facts. The bottom line is that the cooler water temperatures have put a temporary “lock jaw” pattern on the fish bite. However there have been reports of some large trout being caught while “bottom bumping.” Don’t start shaking your head after reading that line. The truth is that I have had two real good reports of trout catches. Both reports went about the same. The fish were caught on artificial bait. They were caught while bouncing this bait on the bottom. It wasn’t a fast bite or even a bunch of bites, but there was a few fish caught using this method. I truly believe as I have always said in the past that trout and other fish burrow themselves in the most reasonable place. For instance a fish that doesn’t migrate knows when it gets cold what it will have to deal with. Instincts alone let them in of this. It’s my feelings that fish basically hold up in deep holes that supply them with some sort of a food source. So therefore they are sharing a spot with others in the same situation.

I suggest fishing your deep holes. I don’t suggest trying to anchor in them you are only going to disrupt all that is hibernating. Artificial swimming baits that perform life like and old dead frozen shrimp will work. If you are planning on using the artificial stuff I suggest that you drop in and work your lure so that it bumps the bottom. In other words don’t retrieve it every time. Just let it bounce on the bottom. For those of you that want to go with the real bait. Drop in to the bottom on a Carolina type rig and just wait until it starts to move, and after a few seconds if can wait that long then set the hook. The bite will be slow and the take with even be slower.

The perfect conditions for red fish!

The bottom side to this arena is that you might get to see more of them than you get to catch!

You need what is considered a warm sunny day during the wintertime. The tide needs to bottom out at around 11:00 Am. (Low tide stage) At this point you need to be in your considered best spot for reds at this time of the year. Here’s an example: Salt Pond, which is located in the Warsaw sound area is a great place to target red fish year around as well as many other inshore species. This area offers all that a red fish wants and seeks during the winter times. They need a place that’s safe to feed, which also offers them protection from the hungry porpoises. This is such a place. There are plenty of live oyster rakes that line the marsh banks. Here’s the best part. Some of the oyster rakes are perpendicular to marsh/bank. On top of this target rich environment there is a part mud/sand flat the runs parallel to the bank. There is most always 1 to 3 feet on the flat even at the low tide. However, there are some parts of the flat that doesn’t have that. So therefore you need to approach this area with caution. Slow is the word!

Now lets assume you are either at Salt Pond or fishing some other location, which has pretty much the same scenario. Making your approach should be slow taking in consideration the depth of the water. As it floods (tide starts rising) the area will get more water and then also the fish’s attention. While all of this is going on it’s your job to wait patiently, watch for bait movement, hovering or feeding birds, and any sort of schooling fish. Red fish will often school when approaching such as area. One main reason they approach this area as a school is the fact that they feel safer in numbers. Believe me after seeing the porpoise run thorough this area doing their feeding thing your will understand better. Watching the porpoise feeding on the red fish is truly an amazing sight.

While you are waiting I suggest fishing 360 degrees around the boat. Everyone on board should be fishing at different depths and with various type of bait from artificial to the real thing. As the water pushes in so do the fish. This is the time when fish staging takes place. You already know that they are hungry, because if they are moving they are eating!

Salt Pond has what I called perpendicular feeding area.” This boils down to the fact that you have marsh banks, sloughs, and pockets. Along with that you have exposed and unexposed oyster rakes when the tide stage is low. Not only do you have those that I listed, but you also have areas of live oyster rakes that are vertical to the bank. They are shaped like a “T.” When this situation comes along you get more than you bargained for in the attracting fish department. The vertical part of the “T” gives fish both small/large more structure for feeding and hiding.

Schooling Red Fish

There are two main things red fish do that give us fishermen the “I’m here indication!” The most popular, because I don’t know a fishing magazine that hasn’t published a picture of this yet is the one of the “Tailing Red Fish!” They are known for their “heads down and tails up practices” while in the feeding mode. This normally occurs when the red fish is rooting on the bottom in shallow water. It’s truly an amazing sight to see a red fish’s tail pitching above the water line. Even though I have seen this time and time again it still marvels me as if it was my first time.

When red fish school especially near the surface they have a very distinctive design. The do on occasion travel as most schooling fish. However, I feel that they move more like what I call a “block design.” Kind of like soldiers lined up on a field marching in line after line. When they are schooling they basically push water or some have called it making a wake. Once you have seen it, it’s easily recognized the second time. I have on many occasions pointed this out to customers of which told me if I hadn’t they wouldn’t have known what they were looking at in the first place. I know the successful act of catching seems real complicated. However, learning is really a lot easier when you see and feel it, because what feels good to brain is correctly deposited to you mind. Thank goodness I still have some space available!

Sheepshead, Sheepshead, and more Sheepshead

It’s time to take this trip, because “it is the season!” The large Sheepshead have made their way to the near shore artificial reefs, which is where they will stay until the toothy monsters arrive. Don’t worry you still have time before that régime shows up. For those that need time management in their fishing life you had best take your Sheepshead fishing trips before the first week in April. With April comes the arrival of many fish. The warm water push signals any Sheepshead left behind that it’s time to get off the old offshore artificial reef. When the Sheepshead migrate at this time they basically head back to the inshore waters.

Before Artificial Reefs were invented or even thought off fishermen built what were called “Sheepshead Huts!”

If you have been around as long as I have you already know what it was like without the artificial reef craze. Long before official artificial reefs were installed there was what was called “Sheepshead Huts.” These huts were about 6 by 6 feet wide and about 5 feet tall. They had walls and floors, but as you can aspect no roof. According to popular belief during the mid 1950’s it was though that Sheepshead preferred taking food directly off the bottom. The floors on the huts provided lots of direct bottom feeding. The walls provided lots of good vertical feeding surface. In other word a “Sheepshead feeding paradise!” This so called “hut” was built on shore, floated to designated spot, sunk, and anchored. Most fishermen placed two of these huts about 2 to 3 feet apart. The reason being is that this designed offered more places for the Sheepshead to seek shelter and escape from being the main dinner course for the sharks and porpoises. This was called “create your own target Rich Environment!”

Savannah Snapper Banks

It’s time to focus our sights on the area. This is going to be the next frontier for this particular time of the year. Several of our boats have made the run, in between cold fronts. This fishing is very good at this time of the year with lots of different kinds of fish to catch. Your day can be filled with multiple catches of black sea bass, vermilion, porgy, red snapper, and groupers. Last week Captain Ken Kennickell of Miss Judy Charters found all of the above and lots of Atlantic sharp nose sharks to go along with the feeding affair. According to the fishing report once they dropped in on a live bottom area, pulled up a few fish, schools of sharks went into the attack mode. The fishermen quickly caught their shared of sharks and moved on to another area. However, the shark either followed or the area was simply covered up by “jaw’s Junior!” The good news in the catching department is the fact that these sharks offer a great amount of fighting action and they are very good to eat! It’s time to book you spring and summer offshore fishing trips!

Blue Fin Tuna
Giants Take Flight!

When fishing offshore these days you never know where you might get a glimpse of a jumping giant blue fin tuna. They are still here and have been spotted in less than 30 feet of water. Captain Ed Stabell along with wife Robin and Michael Lemack took the ride to the Eagles Nest this past week to do a little blue fin tuna trolling. They trolled this area and then moved over to the Betsy Ross. While trolling these South Carolina artificial reef areas they didn’t see any birds or bait action. All seemed dead in these areas so they moved out to the R-7 Naval Tower area to give that a try. The Naval Tower did have some bird-a-hovering, but still “no big fish action!” Once again put their lines out and headed deeper in the North Snapper Banks. When they arrived at the north banks a giant blue fin tuna nearly jumped in their boat. After almost having their boat used as a “tuna landing pad” they heard over the VHF marine radio that blue fins were jumping at the artificial reef “K C” buoy.

I would like to make a statement about the Stabell fishing trip. In their case it wasn’t what they were pulling that the big blue fin tuna were interested in, but rather their boat! I have always said, “lures are made with the purpose of attracting fish and fish don’t care whether they are manned or not!” Thanks as always for the report Ed!

2005 Blue Fin Tuna Sightings

Blue fin tuna were reported being spotted jumping at the KC Buoy and also by shrimp boats that were trawling near the shore. It’s a known fact that large fish have to feed to stay large. A giant tuna probably needs about 60 pound plus of something to eat everyday just to maintain its weight. Just think about it these fish have been showing up where ever they can find food. Artificial reefs such as the KC buoy especially at this time of the year are holding the winter migration of “school blue fish.” This fish is found on the “wish list of wants” by the blue fin tuna. It’s not their favorite, but as I said, “they have to feed and some how they know their sources!” A shrimp boat, at least to fish such as the blue fin tuna, is just a large moving artificial reef. Fish don’t hold under them, but are rather tossed from them. When they pull in their nets there is an unbelievable by-catch dropped from the pulled commercial net, which is immediately raked over board. Tuna are known for staging in areas just like this in order to feed. It has been proven that they break off into smaller schools (2 to 4 fish) to feed in order to do this staging affair. I called it spreading out for feeding survival!

Sword Fish Shorts

Part two

The best time to fish for swordfish is to do so during night. It’s one of those fish that want to feed during the nighttime hours. As with any style of fishing to be successful there are many parts to the fish catching equation. Swordfish are mostly nocturnal creatures. So therefore when a fish moves they eat and in this case it’s normally during the nighttime hours! All fish look for food 24-7 food and will eat when an opportunity rises, but when they are hunting it’s different. Swordfish hunt areas with structure. In the case of this fish, which holds in deep water you need to find yourself a large ledge. I call it basically an “underwater mountain.” Stan along with his sword fishing crew fishes a 150 ledge that he found in around 1,400 feet of water. This is exactly where a big fish hunts for food. So therefore fish here for the big hook up!!!

For those that want to give sword fishing a try off our coast we have boats waiting to take you the “hookup land!”

Little Miss Judy’s Believe It or Not!

Fishing for Fish

My father used to say, “Fishing knowledge can be purchased in many forms. However, fishing experience is definitely not for sale!

Here’s My Line Now Bite My Hook!

Captain Judy

“Fish Physic!”

Thank You,
Captain Judy
Miss Judy Charters
912-897-4921
Miss Judy's Charter Information